Dead Pupae and Deformed wings

[edrob357]

I've been finding a lot of dead pupae left outside the entrances along with a lot of newly emerged bees with stumps for wings crawling around and looking pathetic. I've checked for Varroa and no sign of them present at all. It's unlikely to be acarine disease as the bees (4 hives) are all Buckfast. All the rest of the bees in the hives are flying very well. Any ideas from anyone if this is going to turn into a major problem or is this just some form of Bee Spring cleaning? These aren't old, dead bees being taken outside- these are bees that are soft and died recently in the comb before having a chance to emerge as normal. We haven't had any sudden cold snaps in the weather in the last 3 or 4 weeks and it's been generally nice and warm with bees flying most days.

 

[Midland Beek]

Deformed Wing Virus is associated with varroa. A lot of colonies the length and breadth of Europe at this time of the year will have one or two bees with deformed wings crawling in front of the hive. You will have to pit your wits (dunno if that's the right phrase) against the varroa mite this season.

 

[edrob357]

There is no varrroa in any of the four hives.

 

[BKF Admin]

Deformed wing virus (DWV) is suspected of causing the wing and abdominal deformities often found on adult honeybees in colonies infested with Varroa mites.
These symptoms include damaged appendages, particularly stubby, useless wings, shortened, rounded abdomens, miscoloring and paralysis. Symptomatic bees have severely reduced life-span (less than 48 hours usually) and are typically expelled from the hive.

In the absence of mites the virus is thought to persist in the bee populations as a covert infection .

Edit: Sorry MB you beat me to it..

 

[Skyhook]

There is no varrroa in any of the four hives.

That's a hell of a claim! How can you be so sure you have the only 4 varroa-free hives in Europe, and how did you acheive it?

 

[Midland Beek]

There is no varrroa in any of the four hives.

Some beekeepers use varroa monitoring boards. They are coloured white, so making identification of mites easier.

Forking some drone brood at the pink eye stage is also useful in giving you an idea of the level of varroa infestation.

 

[Scutellator]

I've been finding a lot of dead pupae left outside the entrances along with a lot of newly emerged bees with stumps for wings crawling around and looking pathetic. I've checked for Varroa and no sign of them present at all. It's unlikely to be acarine disease as the bees (4 hives) are all Buckfast. All the rest of the bees in the hives are flying very well. Any ideas from anyone if this is going to turn into a major problem or is this just some form of Bee Spring cleaning? These aren't old, dead bees being taken outside- these are bees that are soft and died recently in the comb before having a chance to emerge as normal. We haven't had any sudden cold snaps in the weather in the last 3 or 4 weeks and it's been generally nice and warm with bees flying most days.

I don't think that someone can give an answer about the actual reason (virus) for that. It is not normal to have crawling bees in front of the hives (at least few years ago), unless they are heavily infested with varroa. DWV is pretty inoffensive without varroa. The new virus you are talking about does not need varroa to cause a disease - it's transmitted via the food (and rojal jelly) the larvae are fed. Some of the queen cells nourished in collonies with this virus(es) (or having even the slightest contact with contaminated rojal jelly) -die or have abnormalities (between 50 and 10 % or less, depending on the breeder queen).

http://www.dave-cushman.net/bee/rogerpatterson.html

Probably it's not worth worrying about, as long as the queen and the hive looks healthy. You might never experience such problems as described above with those four hives. And with the years this disease will pass away.


Regards
Donnie

 

[Adam]

There is no varrroa in any of the four hives.

How are you monitoring that? No varroa is impossible. What is the daily mite drop?

adam

 

[Finman]

.
You may test varroa this way:

take a frame of emerging bees and make a nuc from that ovar the hive so that get heat from the main hive but mites cannot go back to the hive.

After couple of day you have new bees there and mites on bees. Then spray 3% oxalic acid water (no sugar) on frame sides. Dead mites will be seen next day on floor.

 

[BeeOnMyWay]

I'm a novice beekeeper (second year) and have just come in from performing an inspection. I've spotted half a dozen or so dead pupa on the floor of my hive, beneath a couple of the frames. No dead pupa outside the hive, or evidence of deformed wings, but might this also be a sign of varroa, or something more serious? The pupa are a mily white colour. Retrieving them was a little awkward, but they appeared to be in a late stage of development. No other signs or markings that I could see.
Any advice welcomed.
Andy

Diary of a nervous beekeeper